Waste board eyes tipping fee for recyclers at landfill

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Solid Waste Management Board wants the recyclers doing business near the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill to share on the cost of clearing the piles of garbage accumulated in the area.

Lawyer Janeses “Jade” Ponce, Presiding Officer of the SWMB, said the recyclers are in the first place responsible for these piles of garbage that are residuals of those brought and sold to them by scavengers.

“Kung wala sila diha, di man sad na mahitabo (If they weren’t there that would not happen). They ought to help the city government. During our last meeting, they committed to help,” Ponce said.

He said these recyclers are earning their income or profit from the trash so they should be the first ones to take responsibility in the proper collection, storage and disposal of their residual wastes.

The clearing of the White Road is targeted to be completed by October 17.

Ponce said they will not only clear the road of garbage but they will beautify the sidewalk by greening it.

“Amo nang tamnan. Paninduton gyud na namo (We will have plants there. We would make it look beautiful),” Ponce said.

He said waste pickers will also be educated and trained on how to keep the environment clean while keeping their job at the same time.

The garbage that will be cleared along the stretch of the White Road will be recorded accordingly.

The inventory shall tell exactly how much garbage each of the recyclers were responsible for so they can compute how much each ought to pay as tipping fee before bringing in the garbage to a private landfill in Consolacion.

The Environmental Management Bureau brought to the attention of the city government the piles of garbage along the White Road following an inspection of the landfill.

The EMB again urged the city to totally close the landfill in compliance with the Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act.  (FREEMAN)